A MAb (B16G) which recognizes a constant epitope on TsC and their soluble factors in DBA/2 mice has been described previously. In this study, we show that when this MAb is covalently linked to the photoactivable molecule Hp, and injected i.v. into P815 tumor-bearing mice which were subsequently exposed to light, tumors undergo permanent regression in 10%-40% of these mice (depending on the individual experiment). All control animals died within an average of 22-24 days after tumor cell injection. It is suggested that tumor regression is attributable to immune mechanisms facilitated by the elimination of a population of TsC. When splenocytes of B16G-Hp-treated mice were assayed in vitro for the generation of CTL active against P815 tumor cells, it was found that 24 h after treatment, a significant increase in killer cell activity was noted but that this effect was gone by 48h. We also show that B16G-Hp conjugates are capable in vitro of specifically killing cells of a TsC hybridoma, A10 (which has been shown previously to secrete a T suppressor factor reactive with P815 cell surface antigens). This conjugate had no cytotoxic effect on P815 cells under conditions in which A10 cells were killed.

Previously we have described the isolation and characterization of a T-suppressor factor (TsF) from a T cell hybridoma (A10F), which has a degree of specificity for the DBA/2 mastocytoma P815. Administration of A10F intravenously at the time of tumor cell injection resulted in an accelerated rate of tumor growth, decreased cytotoxic T lymphocyte antitumor activity, and reduced survival time. In the work reported here, we have shown that administration of affinity-enriched A10F 7-14 days prior to tumor cell injection causes what appear to be reverse effects, in that an enhanced resistance to the P815 tumor is observed in vivo, an effect which we can correlate with the demonstration of antitumor cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity in vitro. These effects are dose-dependent since only doses of TsF at 20 micrograms or greater are effective. A similar effect was found when A10F was administered to DBA/2 mice 10 days prior to challenge with two unrelated tumors (L1210 and M-1). However, when another TsF (Fd11F) with apparent specificity for a nominal antigen was tested in this system, it had no effect on tumor growth.

No abstract

We have previously described a monoclonal antibody, B16G, which has been found to be specific for T-cell derived suppressor factors (TsF). B16G has been shown to react with T-suppressor cells, TsF in the spleen of normal or tumor-bearing mice, the TsF produced by tumour-specific, or hapten-specific T-cell hybridomas, and with polyclonal whole human TsF isolated from tonsillar tissue. This pan-reactivity inherent to the B16G antibody suggests that it recognizes some common, shared epitope of the TsF molecule. In this study, we have used B16G as a probe to isolate a TsF-producing T-cell hybridoma, S-50, from CBA mice (H-2k) that is specific for the Lupus-associated antigen, RNP-Sm. The TsF bound specifically to RNP-Sm and inhibited the production of anti-RNP-Sm antibody cell cultures from MRL-lpr mice. SDS-PAGE analysis of purified S-50 TsF revealed a B16G-reactive band with a molecular weight of 43 kd.